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Tamarind is an ingredient that I don’t believe most people are familiar with. I was, until recently, one of those people. I had heard of it before, but I had never really had it in anything and I had certainly never tasted fresh tamarind fruit before. Thanks to my partnership with McCormick, however, all of that has changed. They have created the 2012 Flavor Forecast to help people like you and me learn about new ingredients and techniques from all over the world, and tamarind fruit is just one example of that. McCormick has pushed me to get outside of my comfort zone and play with flavors that I previously would never have even considered. When I was sent a box of tamarind fruit and told to go for it, I did a bit of research and discovered all of the wonderful ways in which tamarind fruit is used throughout the world. It can be made into a marinade, a sauce, or in this case, a tasty drink. Ripe tamarind fruit is hidden behind a hard, walnut-like shell, but once you crack it open, it’s quite similar to a date, both in flavor and texture, which is probably why some people call it an “Indian date”. It is commonly used throughout Africa the Middle East, but it has reached parts of Mexico and Asia, too. I was talking to one of my friends, who is Mexican, and she said that a lot of more authentic Mexican restaurants will serve tamarind flavors agua fresca instead of the more common fruity ones that you find in most places in the States. When she told me about the agua fresca, I knew that I had to do something similar, and of course, maybe a bit more adult. Hence, the Sweet Tamarind Margarita. I love the depth of flavor that this margarita offers; it’s not as fruity as some other flavored margaritas, but it is still refreshing and sweet, and it really brought a ray of sunshine to Kramer and me on a gloomy New York winter day. You can find tamarind fruit in most specialty foods and health stores, so if you’re interested in pushing yourself and impressing your friends, pick some up and start cooking!

Your ingredients.

Crack open your tamarind fruit.

And peel away the spine-looking fibers. Don’t worry about getting every single one – you will press it through a sieve later on.

Combine the fruit with 1 cup of hot water and mash them together until the fruit dissolves into the water.

Then press the mixture through a mesh sieve to remove any extra fibers and seeds.

The consistency should be like a thin applesauce when you are done. Heat the pulp over medium heat with 1/3 cup of sugar until the sugar has dissolved.

First, make your tamarind simple syrup. Start by making your tamarind pulp. Remove the husks from the tamarind and peel away the fibers - this is kind of a fun process, as the fibers look like little spines and they just easily peel away. Place 1 cup of tamarind fruit in a bowl with 1 cup of very hot water. Using your hands (I suppose after years of cooking, I have a high pain tolerance for heat - make sure you can comfortably do this without burning yourself), mash the fruit up to separate it from the seeds and remaining fibers. This should take about 5 solid minutes, until most of the fruit has dissolved into the water. Push the mixture through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds and fibers from the pulp. The resulting consistency should be that of a thin applesauce or puree.

In a medium sized pot, combine your tamarind pulp and ⅓ cup of granulated sugar. Cook over medium heat until the sugar has fully dissolved, then set aside to cool slightly, either in the fridge or the refrigerator.

Juice your lemon and limes and add them to your mixer. Add in your tequila, Cointreau, and tamarind simple syrup. Top off with ice. Shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds. Wipe a lemon or lime wedge around the edges of your glasses and line with salt. Strain your margaritas into your glasses, garnish with a lemon and/or lime wheel slice, and serve over 1 or 2 ice cubes.

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139 Responses

My bf and I have recently started using chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It started with a mussels and fries recipe that called for a chipotle mayo and now we’ve started using them to make compound butters. Great flavor to work with!

I’ve always known and heard of Star Anise, and known was it was used for, but I never used it myself! That is, until I tried your pulled pork sandwich recipe, in which it is used for a rub, and now I am OBSESSED with it. I love pairing it with meats, which I had never thought of doing before.

Quinoa! I recently made a great salad with cilantro, lime, shallots, quinoa, and chicken. I also like to use it instead of rice to serve chili or stir fry over. We also use smoked black pepper quite a bit when making bbq sauce and marinades.

Quite a while ago I came into possession of some delightful vanilla beans, and just in the last couple of weeks or so I’ve started using some vanilla essence I made with them in rum – it’s such a more nuanced flavour than store-bought essence, and I’m loving trying it out in things.

As for those tamarinds, wow! I wouldn’t even be able to identify that as a fruit I don’t think if I came across it somewhere.

Never knew what to do with curry powder, and I never knew you used chutney for anything outside of simosas.
Over the holidays, I learned to combine the two into a curried chicken salad that is to die for. It’s so exciting using new flavors!

My wife and I have been subbing in ground turkey for ground beef in a lot of our recipes, and we’ve really been enjoying it. I’ve always said that I prefer beef, but the ground turkey works, for me, surprisingly well. We have to add a little extra fat (olive oil, for example), so it has more flavor, but being able to control the type of fat we add is a big, healthy bonus.

I love all the specialty drinks you make! My husband and I have been trying to make one new drink each month. This month was dark n’ stormy and have found a love for ginger beer. When we ran out of rum my husband found another recipe for ginger beer and tequila, which was equally delicious.

It’s nothing too unusual, but I recently discovered cumin seeds while making some Indian food at home for the first time. They’re really very different than just throwing in some powdered cumin – it’s interesting to use a spice I’m very familiar with in a new form.

To be honest, my recent new ingredient obsession has been SRIRACHA. I bought some a couple weeks ago to make one of your recipes that called for it, and since then I have been putting it in and on EVERYTHING. I love spicy food, so I can’t believe I’d never tried it before. THANK YOU for showing me the light.

Tamarinds are pretty available here in AZ, I will give them a try. I think the ingredient I have been experimenting most with is Fresno chiles. I just recently have got to a point where I can eat hot stuff and these little guys are definitely my favorite.

Chia seeds! They are so useful. In my efforts to eat healthier, I am putting them in my smoothies, oatmeal and making chia eggs to replace eggs in baking. Love your blog and all the passion you put into it!

I really want to use almond milk more. It sounds amazing! I haven’t really been adventurous and trying new ingredients, but I’ve discovered a newfound love of lemon and have been using lemon or lemon juice in alot of recipes

Just a few days ago I used both ground cloves and ground ginger for the first time ever. I used them in a homemade body scrub, though, not something edible. When I used the body scrub in the shower, it smelled like I had cooked something wonderful. I’m looking forward to trying these spices in something edible. I’m not usually too adventurous in cooking with spices but love trying new things. Thanks!

I’d always wanted to try saffron but never wanted to spend the money until I recently found it for half-off. I made a butternut squash risotto with it, but the saffron was a bit too overpowering (I guess I didn’t like the taste as much as I thought I would…). Then I made a chicken provençal dish & went really easy on the saffron & it was delicious!

I am not a beer fan, so I was out with a friend at a beer place and asked if they had cider instead and they had pear cider. I did not know that existed. It was super yummy. And I am going to use it in beer bread.

I have never tried tamerind! So excited now to try something new once I move into my new house this weekend. One of the new things I tried this year was avocado. Very strange that I have never had it before, but now I love it with a sprinkle of crumbled goat cheese.

Oh man, I had an amazing tamarind margarita on my last Mexican vacation. They suggested it as the special of the day and when it came out brown I wasn’t so sure but it was good! I can’t wait to try your version.

I finally got some saffron strands and I’ve been using them in dishes, so tasty!

Oooh, these look lovely! It’s not really a new separate flavor, but one thing I’ve been noticing lately is how different I find the taste of different types of sweet potato/yam. I always used to just buy the cheapest, assuming they tasted the same, but now I’m becoming a yam afficionado!

My new ingredient is pomegranate. Just like you, I love a margarita, so for Thanksgiving, we serve Harvest Margaritas (the pomegranite juice makes for a lovely Thankgiving color!) We make it again for New Year’s Eve–a much bigger batch, of course! And we rename them Mistletoe Margaritas (the color is just as pretty for the Christmas season.)

Looking forward to trying some Tamarind Fruit. I don’t remember ever seeing them, but it’s amazing what you notice after you learn what it is!!

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with juicing. My boyfriend and I have a Breville juicer, and we juice fruits and veggies everyday! Our favorite combo is oranges, apples and a couple carrots. I even used my new juicer to make a breakfast granola muffin recipe! It called for apple juice and orange juice, so instead of that nasty concentrated and extra-added sugar junk, I used fresh juiced apples and oranges and OH. Was it heavenly. Besides that though, juicing is super healthy and tastes SO much better than store-bought juice.

I liked you on facebook! One ingredient that i’ve “recently discovered” (more like fell in love with) was the use of cumin- The first time I’ve cooked with it was when I was making falafels. Really, really tasty!

Hi Sydney,
My sister brought me to your blog and I love it. I *almost* want to send you a picture of my kitchen because it looks eerily similar to yours…cabinets, counter color and island!

Anyway, one ingredient I’ve been using more lately is whole (grated) nutmeg. I put it in pancakes (thanks to the Food Network) and homemade mac & cheese. It adds that “What am I tasting?” element and it’s really delicious.

I recently tried roasting delicata squash and I have to say… they are my new favorite winter squash! Not only are they delish… but you don’t have to peel them! Hooray for the working woman who doesn’t want to peel winter squash!!

It’s not a new ingredient – honey – but I’m learning to use it on more than just biscuits! It’s a great sweetner that can take the place of sugar in recipes to give you a fuller sweet taste, while being much healthier for your body to digest than refined sugar.

I tried mayer lemons the other day and I didn’t know what I should try. I then made my very favourite food in the entire world, lemon squares. I added less than half the sugar I usually use and they were AWESOME. I also tried grapefruit squares a while ago and those were pretty amazing too!!

I have to try this! I have heard of tamarind before, and I know it is an important ingredient in pad thai, but I have never worked with it.

Recently, I discovered smoked paprika! I used to use sweet paprika for chili, potato salad, deviled eggs, and so on. Not anymore! I am hooked on smoked paprika. My favorite is sprinkling a bit of it on a fried egg while it’s cooking. It compliments the flavor of eggs well and tastes like the egg was cooked in bacon grease or something. Since I am a vegetarian, smoked paprika has really enabled me to add a subtle depth to my dishes.

It’s not a new ingredient, but I’ve been using broccoli a lot lately as a quick side dish. Just throwing it in the oven with oil, salt, and pepper, and sometimes red pepper and finish it off with butter if I’m in the mood.

this is so wonderful! i love to cook and bake and am always looking for a new flavor to try out. lately i’ve been stuck in a rut so this is very inspiring! this is by no means a new flavor or anything, but i recently started adding almond extract to my homemade blueberry muffins- sooooo good! (i add a struessel topping with cinnamon, sugar, butter, and flour too!)

I was able to meet and get acquainted with sweet tamarind when I went to Thailand for a vacation. I loved the sweet, fruity, sour mix of this exotic fruit. I would love to taste it in my drink too…I hope to find a good sweet Tamarind box…Have to go to the nearest Asian deli store. Thanks for sharing!

I am a vegetarian and always looking for non-meat sources of protein. I love quinoa but I recently tried farro and I love it! Such a wonderful taste and texture. And so good for you! Thanks for the great blog- so fun following you!

It’s not a ‘new’ ingredient, per se, but I’ve discovered the importance of using real vanilla bean when possible. The difference it makes! And along those lines, the last couple of years I’ve used real pumpkin in my pies and breads, and now refuse to go back to canned.

I just recently discovered basil of all things. I had ordered this popular drink called a “Skinny Basil” which made me think “Oh, a figure-friendly cocktail!” HaHa! It tasted a bit strong but oh so good. It’s made with lemonade, bruised basil, and Cointreau. The basil really made the drink great.

I first discovered Tamarinds via my partner’s family, who are from Mexico. Every Christmas they make Ponche, and damn is it delicious. They throw all kinds of delicious fruit in there, along with cinnamon sticks. They also throw sugar cane in there, and it’s heavenly to swizzle those things around and then suck the juice out of them.

Just last week I got to sample some Turkish cuisine for the first time. I had these delicious cold appetizers wrapped in grape leaves and just thinking about them now is making my mouth water. I’ve never been really adventurous when it comes to food (I live in the midwest, where it’s all sausage and potatoes) but now that I’m living in a vibrant college town with lots of international students, I have a lot more culinary options.

I love using Tamarind as well especially in Indian cooking. You can buy a really good sauce called Maggi’s “Tamarina” which is delicious with everything!
Definitely not new…but I recently started using tofu and am excited about the endless possibilities!

I just found fresh tumeric root – haven’t tried it yet but can’t wait to see what I can do with it. Looks like ginger but with a slightly darker skin. I’ll be on the lookout for fresh tamarind now – those looks so good!

Just made homemade tortillas and discovered that they are TONS better than storebought! Also, I’ve been loving me some ham and brie lately-in soups, on baked potatoes, in breakfast burritos (with homemade tortillas!!), etc. Yum!

Wow, I wish I had seen this post a year ago! We had tamarind as the secret ingredient in an Iron Chef competition and my team had NO IDEA what to make with it.. much less how to get out of the pod and off the seed! Needless to say, it was a very messy ordeal… Haha.

I may be a little late on the times, but I’ve recently discovered hummus! So yummy, and such a healthy alternative to mayo on sandwiches.

You have brought some happy memories back to me as I read about Tamarind. When we lived in Bermuda we lived on a property that had a huge Tamarind Tree. All the homes there have names, not address numbers, and the main house was Tamarind Lodge and our tiny guest house was called Tamarind Too. I am going to try some cooking with Tamarind inspired by your post. Thanks! I’ve recently discovered making my own garam masala is tasty and not too difficult. Thanks for your blog, I really enjoy it.

I’m not sure if this is too late to post but my new ingredient I’ve started using is pork. Yes, I’d cooked sausages and the like before, but I’d never used actual cuts of pork. I currently have crock pot carnitas going for dinner.

i’m not sure if i’m too late to enter, but lately i’ve been experimenting with greens. specifically, grilled or seared salads. the best so far escarole cleaned well and tossed with olive oil and sea salt, grilled until charred around the edges, then drizzled with a handmade red wine and stoneground mustard vinaigrette. topped with shaved radishes and bleu cheese crumbles.

Looks very good! I work at a restaurant, and we have an amazing tamarind-macadamia nut sauce that we serve alongside our mahi mahi fish and chips. The sauce is INCREDIBLE on fish and is a bright green color – it has lots of cilantro, green onion, tamarind paste, macadamia nuts, oil, sugar, and probably some spices….it’s insanely good and my manager let me take some home the other day, I’ve been eating it on grilled tilapia and loving life 😀

[…] by the McCormick Flavor Forecast? I presented things that packed a punch like spicy harissa and tamarind margaritas. Well, I’m pleased to be able to say that I’ve been asked to come back again to tell […]

[…] excited to announce my continued partnership with McCormick Spices – I’ve already created these Sweet Tamarind Margaritas for their 2012 Flavor Forecast, as well as this Spicy Harissa hot sauce, but now that it’s […]

[…] excited to announce my continued partnership with McCormick Spices – I’ve already created these Sweet Tamarind Margaritas for their 2012 Flavor Forecast, as well as this Spicy Harissa hot sauce, but now that it’s […]